So It's a (Double) Date Then?
by emmathecharming
Summary: Fitz wants to help Simmons take her mind off of everything they've been through lately so he suggests that they take some time off base & get something to eat. After they make plans, they both realize that this could be looked at as their first date since the kiss, since... They both get nervous and turn to their friends. Daisy decides drastic measures will be needed.


Jemma peers around the corner into the common room. Inside, Daisy is working on a writeup of their latest debrief. Jemma slowly steps around the corner, taking a deep breath.

"Daisy?" she asks quietly, approaching her.

"Oh hey Jem. What's up?"

"Am I interrupting something? I was wondering if we could talk for a bit."

Jemma slowly sinks into the chair opposite Daisy, setting her tea on the table, and pulls her knees toward her chest as she settles in.

"Okay" Daisy laughs quietly "what has you so on edge?"  
"It's Fitz."

"What could he possibly have done to make you this nervous?"

"Well he-" Jemma stops, reaching for her mug and taking a sip to hide her face. "He- well he asked me out on a date for tomorrow night."

Daisy's face briefly betrays her surprise before she quickly hides her smile behind her hand.

"So you two? What's going on between you?"

"I've absolutely no idea, Daisy. And that just makes it all the worse. I mean he kissed me- and _wow…_ that kiss." She pauses briefly at the gasp that comes from across the table but continues after a breath, "but right after he kissed me he stormed off. And that was _it_! He hasn't said a word about it until now. And he doesn't even address what happens he justs asks me on a date. Or at least I think it's meant to be a date. All he really asked me was if I wanted to go out to dinner. But he had to mean it as a date right?"

Daisy is staring when Jemma finishes and it takes her a moment to decide how to move on.

"Ok" she starts bluntly. "I am going to restrain myself and save all of my questions about that little rant until later. Dinner… maybe he wants to talk about what happened at dinner?" she suggests finally.

"But then why not tell me that's what he wants?"

"Out of the two of us, you are definitely the one to answer questions about what's going on in Fitz's mind, Jemma. You know him better than anyone in the world, _probably_ even better than he knows himself."

"I used to think so. Now though… well I don't know that it's true anymore."

Daisy snaps her laptop closed and leans forward on the table. "Well you still know more about what he's thinking than I would seeing as how I didn't even know about your-" Daisy stops as she notices the glare filling Jemma's face. "Right ok. Not talking about the kiss. Look, Jemma. I can't tell you what he's thinking about this dinner or why he hasn't said anything about… what happened. But I can tell you this. Fitz is _head over heels_ for you. Anyone can see that just in how he looks at you. You two are the only ones who can't seem to understand what's going on here. You have to figure out how you feel about him and what you want to do about it."

Jemma sighs, taking another sip of her tea.

"How I feel about Fitz…" Jemma trails off. "Thanks for the advice Daisy" she continues abruptly, rising to her feet.

"But Jemma! What are you going to tell him?" Daisy calls after Jemma as she makes her way towards the hallway.

"I guess we'll find out when we go to dinner" Jemma replies over her shoulder as she leaves the room.

-/-

"What the bloody hell was I thinking? Asking Jemma if she wanted to- and now- after what happened. She must think I've lost it."

Lincoln hears Fitz's worried muttering as they pass in the hall and he stops to listen to the end of the rant.

"Uh, hey Fitz" Lincoln calls quietly as the other man continues away from him. "Is there something you want to talk about? To get off your chest, maybe?"

At this, Fitz stops walking and turns around.

"Oh- no I don' think so. Not really somethin' to spread around, you know?"

"Right. See you around then" Lincoln replies, turning back in the direction of the kitchen.

"Actually, Lincoln."

Lincoln turns again at the sound of Fitz's voice.

"Yeah, Fitz?"

"Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?" Lincoln asks, leaning back against the wall.

"It's Jemma" Fitz blurts stepping closer to Lincoln before leaning against the opposite wall. "Well me and Jemma, really. See I was trying to help her take her mind off of, well, everything. But then after what happened, I really should have tried to do it a different way. I mean, what was I thinking?" FItz pauses a moment to take a breath before continuing even more quickly. "But maybe you can help me figure out what to do. I mean you and Daisy, you seem to be working things out pretty well, what with that kiss after we got back and all. And-"

"Fitz" Lincoln interrupts putting his hand on Fitz's shoulder to stop his rambling. "Slow down and don't change the subject. What are you talking about?"

"I asked Jemma out on a date for tomorrow night" he blurts. "Or at least I think it was a date. I really only said dinner but after what happened she probably thinks-"

"Ok back up. What happened, Fitz?"

"Uh well- I kissed her" Fitz whispers, his eyes sinking to the floor.

"Good for you, buddy" Lincoln laughs.

"But then I went and mucked it all up!" Fitz exclaims.

"We're talking about you and Simmons. How bad could things really be?" Lincoln asks shifting to lean more completely against the wall.

"I walked away. I blamed everything on a bloody _curse_! I've ruined everything."

"Well what did she say when you asked her?"

"Wha'?" Fitz asks, frustratedly running a hand through his hair.

"What did she say when you asked her about dinner?"

"She said yes, but-"

"But what? I haven't known you two for long but I know that Jemma isn't going to do anything she doesn't want to."

"But why would she- after what I said- Oh hell" Fitz sighs. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this. You've only been here for a few weeks. You haven't seen what we've been through."

"Dude there aren't that many people on base you can talk to. It's either me or Hunter at this point and really do you want to talk to him about this?"

"No" Fitz laughs, tensely. "I don't suppose he'd be much use in this, would he?"

"Not with what I've seen of him and Bobbi" Lincoln laughs. "Ok. Tell me this, Fitz. Do you want to go to dinner with Simmons like you planned?"

"Well, yeah. 'Course. It's just that-"

"Then _go_! You're not gonna fix anything unless you two actually have a chance to talk

"Ya think?"

"Definitely. Go to dinner, talk, try not to worry. You're _FitzSimmons._ You'll get through this" Lincoln reassures Fitz as he pushes himself off the wall.

"Yeah- yeah, maybe you're right" Fitz muses, his hands beginning to fidget as if working through some problem only he can see as he turns back down the hall.

Lincoln mirrors his movements as he turns to continue making his way to the kitchen but stops when he hears Fitz's voice once again.

"Hey Lincoln?"

"Yeah Fitz?" he says with a quiet laugh.

"Thanks for the help" Fitz responds quietly, pulling at his sleeve.

"Anytime, buddy" Lincoln replies with a tired smile before both men turn their separate directions.

-/-

"These two are helpless" Daisy sighs.

Lincoln looks up from the coffee maker at her voice. "Who's helpless?"

"FitzSimmons!" Daisy exclaims, forcing her laptop closed.

"What have you heard?" Lincoln whispers, slowly moving across the kitchen to where Daisy is sitting at the table.

"Well what have you heard?" Daisy asks, side-eyeing him.

"Oh no. You're not getting anything out of me." Lincoln sits opposite Daisy and pulls his feet up to rest on the chair next to her.

"I think you're forgetting that one of us is a trained super spy and it isn't you" Daisy says leaning across the table, her eyes locked on his and her mouth fighting a smile.

"Oh I am well aware" he laughs. "I am also aware that the same so called _super spy_ just told me everything I need to know."

Daisy quickly shifts back in her chair and crosses her arms. "What could _that_ have possibly told you?"

"Well" Lincoln says, placing his elbows on the table and leaning forward. "Knowing _the little_ I know about the two of them, I'd say it's a safe bet that Simmons came and talked to you about the whole thing too which would mean that you know about as much as I do, or at least the other side of it all."

"Well you agree with me, right? They're hopeless!"

"That might be a little harsh but they do seem like they could use some help."

" _Some help_? They'll be in a race to see who can ruin the date first!"

"Daisy, give them some credit. It won't be that-"

"It will. Trust me. At the very least, they won't talk about what they've been through and we both know nothing is going to change until they do."

"I don't like the look on your face" Lincoln says slowly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What look?" Daisy asks, her smirk spreading.

"The look that tells me you're scheming."

"Ok just go with me for a minute. If I had to bet, I'd say that the two of them are going to be their normal, not talking about the important and obvious topic, selves. That is, of course, unless we give them a little push."

"Daisy. What kind of _little_ push are you planning?"

"Don't _Daisy_ me. I'm not thinking anything too big."

"Right" Lincoln sighs. "What are you going to drag me into this time?"

"Ok, so here's what I'm thinking. A double date!"

"Wait but-" Lincoln interrupts, straightening in his chair.

"Well it doesn't have to be a real date for us. But hear me out. You and I go with them to dinner. That way, well, first we can help with whatever awkwardness they're sure to create. But we can also try and push them to actually talk because they clearly need to and God knows they won't do it on their own."

"Maybe-"

"Look" Daisy blurts leaning forward again. "Either you help me or I figure out a way to be their third wheel and we both know that won't end well."

"You have a very good point there."

"So you're in?" Daisy smiles, opening her laptop again.

"I'm in. But what about FitzSimmons? How do we get them in?"

"Oh that's simple" Daisy laughs.

"Simple?" Lincoln questions, eyeing Daisy over his mug as he takes another sip of coffee.

"Yeah. We don't tell them until it's too late for them to back out. You tell Fitz and I'll take Simmons. Right before they leave, we tell them. They'll be too surprised and confused to fight it."

"That doesn't really sound like a plan."

"Well... it's not" Daisy sighs. "But it's the best I have so unless you have anything better?" she questions, motioning toward the report on her screen.

"I guess not" Lincoln sighs, finishing his coffee. "But about this not being a real date for us?"

"What about it?" Daisy eyes Lincoln overtop her laptop screen.

"Maybe" Lincoln says standing up and shooting Daisy one last smile. "Well, maybe it could be" he finishes, turning to leave the kitchen and leaving Daisy before she can respond.

-/-

"Damn it Jemma." Daisy's call is muffled by the clothes surrounding her as she searches frantically in Jemma's small closet.

"What Daisy?" Jemma huffs from the spot on her bed where Daisy had decreed she needed to stay as soon as she had entered the room.

"You have absolutely zero date worthy items in here" Daisy sighs as she finally emerges from Jemma's closet, her search now abandoned.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing's wrong with them, per se, unless you count the fact that they all hold up to lab standards" Daisy replies matter-of-factly as she slumps into the chair next to the closet.

"And how is it a bad thing for my clothes to be work appropriate? Really Daisy-"

" _That_ right there is your problem. This isn't work. This is a date. With _Fitz_. You need to look nicer, even show a little more skin maybe."

Jemma sighs, sitting up straighter on the bed and crossing her hands in her lap.

"Oh Daisy, I really don't know."

"Ok Jemma. Be honest with me for just a minute?" Daisy asks, raising an eyebrow as she catches her friend's eyes. Jemma responds with only a hesitant smile before Daisy continues. "You like Fitz, right?"

Jemma sighs, her hands moving to rest on the back of her neck. "Well I- yes."

Jemma's head falls back after she answers, the reality of this admission settling in.

"Finally!" Daisy exclaims causing Jemma's head to shoot back up revealing a glare to rival Daisy's best. "Right, ok. Back to the matter at hand. Look, you like him. So don't you want to treat this like a real date? You know, get dressed up, do your hair, all of that?"

"Well I suppose-"

"Good" Daisy interjects. "Just what I wanted to hear. First we have to decide on an outfit. You wait here. I'm gonna go get something from my room that I think will work on you."

"Oh no, Daisy, I really don't think-"

"Don't worry. It's not that bad and I'll let you put a sweater over it if you really want" Daisy sighs.

"Fine" Jemma concedes as Daisy jumps from the chair and crosses the short distance to the door.

"I'll be right back" Daisy smiles, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door clicks closed, Jemma falls back to lay on her bed. She covers her face with her hands as she takes a series of deep breaths.

"It's just Fitz. It's only dinner. This isn't a big deal" she whispers against her hands only a moment before she hears Daisy's footsteps approaching the other side of the door.

"Jemma!" she hears Daisy call following the click of the door.

"What?" Jemma groans back, slowly pushing herself back up to face Daisy.

"I come back and you look like you're a child being forced to go to your boring aunt's house or something. Cheer up!"

"I'm not unhappy Daisy. I'm… well I guess… nervous would probably be the right word."

"Well that's why I'm here. Now put this on" Daisy directs, holding a hanger between them. On the hanger sits a black dress that, from the looks of it, Jemma guesses would not fit, or at least not cover as much as she would normally like.

Jemma sighs as she pushes herself off the bed and takes the hanger from Daisy. She holds the dress out between them, allowing herself a better look.

"Are you sure about this?" she asks, looking around the dress to Daisy.

"Yes. Now hurry up and try it on. I need to know if it's gonna work."

Jemma gently lays the dress out on the bed and hurries to remove her sweater and button up. She reaches for the dress and pulls it over her head before shimmying out of her jeans. She fixes the dress before turning to look herself over in the mirror.

"Jemma" Daisy all but gasps from her spot in the chair.

"What?" Jemma replies pulling at the slightly too tight waist of the dress.

"Fitz is gonna lose his mind when he sees you" Daisy laughs. "Now. Let's do something about your hair."

-/-

Lincoln sighs when he reaches the common room. Inside Fitz is sitting on the couch staring at the tv with one of the game controllers in his hands. The video on the screen begins to replay as the game waits for Fitz to tell it to move on.

 _Oh Daisy. Why did I let you talk me into this?_ He thinks to himself as he steps inside.

"You know? You'll get more practice at the game if you actually keep playing it" Lincoln says as he comes up next to Fitz.

"Huh" Fitz mumbles, shaking his head as though he is just waking up.

"The game" Lincoln repeats, motioning toward the tv. "You'll get more practice if you play through more than once."

"Oh yeah" Fitz sighs. "I guess I just got a bit distracted thinking about tonight."

"Oh yeah. Your date with Simmons, right?"

"Yeah" Fitz whispers slowly, his eyes drifting down to focus on the controller in his hands.

"You wanna play another round? Take your mind off it for a bit?" Lincoln picks up the second controller and uses it to motion back toward the television.

"What makes you think I need to take my mind off it?" Fitz pauses a moment and Lincoln's eyes flit back to the still repeating recap video on the tv. Fitz's eyes follow. "Oh right" he finishes with a quiet chuckle.

They both settle back down into the couch as Fitz prepares the game for another round.

"You don't think it's weird, do you?" Fitz asks quietly after a few minutes.

"What?" Lincoln replies, shooting him a quick glance before returning his attention to the game.

"That I'm- well that I'm nervous about tonight." Fitz shoots a cautious glance toward Lincoln as he asks causing him to fall behind.

"You being nervous about your first date with Simmons? Of course not."

"It's not like it's a blind date. I've been there before- was nervous as hell. This is Jemma…" Fitz trails off.

"Look Fitz, if I were you, I'd be worried if I wasn't nervous. Sure you know Simmons. But this is completely new territory for you two."

"Yeah… right… Being nervous of the unknown is completely normal" Fitz replies slowly, distracted by the last moments of their race.

"Damn it!" Lincoln shouts as Fitz passes him just seconds before the race ends. "Maybe you don't need that practice after all." Lincoln laughs quickly.

"It would seem as if I don't" Fitz says with a laugh, jokingly holding the controller in the air as if it was a trophy. "If only dating was as easy at beating you."

"Then we'd all be in a better place, my friend."

"You have time for another race? Not sure how much longer Simmons will be."

"Sure. It's not like I have anything I have to be doing tonight. I can play for a-"

Lincoln stops when he spots Daisy and Jemma making their way into the room.

"Hey guys!" Daisy calls.

Lincoln responds with a smile but Fitz remains focused on the tv. After a quiet moment, Lincoln waves his controller in front of Fitz's face and then motions to the other side of the room.

"What is it Linc-" Fitz starts as he shifts to look behind them but he stops when his eyes land on Jemma.

"You look-" Fitz pauses as he searches his brain for a word to aptly describe Jemma and Jemma blushes. "Beautiful" he finally finishes, the color of his face quickly changing to match hers.

"Thank you, Fitz." Jemma smiles as she reaches down, her hands searching for something to occupy them and calm their slight shaking and finally settling on fixing her dress again.

"Uh guys do you mind?" Fitz gestures between him and Simmons while glancing back and forth between Daisy and Lincoln.

Daisy looks to Lincoln to make the first move to explain but he holds his hands up as he says "This is all you, Daisy."

"What's going on with you two?" Jemma asks looking to Daisy for answers.

"Ok so here's the thing… Lincoln and I… well we're going with you."

"And why the hell would you do that?" Fitz asks.

"Well… we" Lincoln shoots a bit of a glare at Daisy as she pauses to find the right word. "Ok _I_ thought that some company might make things go a little smoother for you guys."

"And what makes you think things wouldn't go smoothly?" Jemma asks, taking a step away from Daisy and crossing her arms.

"Well it's just that- in the past anyway… you two have been known to not talk about things that you need to work through. And well... after… what's happened between you guys recently… we- _I_ thought you could use a little help."

Daisy and Lincoln look on as Jemma and Fitz shift into something they've seen before. Jemma's eyes lock on Fitz's and it is clear that, despite the silence, the two are clearly talking.

After several moments, Jemma sighs and Fitz shifts on the couch and pushes his hands through his hair.

"Seeing as how you two seem so intent on carrying out this little plan of yours," Jemma finally says slowly, "I suppose fighting it wouldn't be very effective."

"I don't plan on giving in" Daisy says with a laugh.

"Fine then" Fitz says, pushing himself to his feet. "I guess you two can come if you really want to."

"Wait my plan actually worked?" Daisy whispers, her smile spreading wider.

"So it would seem" Fitz sighs, coming to stand alongside Jemma.

"So it's a date then" Lincoln says with a smile as he pushes himself off the couch and moves to stand next to the others.

"A double date" Daisy laughs, "because did I mention my plan actually worked this time?"

"Well the jury's still out on how successful the plan will actually turn out to be" Jemma corrects her, pointing in the same way she often does while explaining her work.

"Very right you are, Jemma" Fitz says, making the first move toward the garage.

"Ok maybe I was wrong. I don't know if I can take a full night of _this_ " Daisy teases, motioning between Fitz and Jemma. "Can we just go before you make me change my mind?" Daisy asks, eliciting a quiet laugh from Jemma. "Oh no!" Daisy exclaims. "Nope. Forget I said that. I'm not changing my mind."

"Let's all just get out of here then" Lincoln says moving to follow Fitz out with Jemma and Daisy following behind.


End file.
